In Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), we strive for more than just incremental progress. We aim for transformative change – changes that fundamentally improve an individual's quality of life, independence, and access to opportunities. Two powerful concepts, pivotal behaviors and behavioral cusps, provide a roadmap for achieving this level of impact. By strategically targeting these high-leverage behaviors, we can create interventions that are not only effective but also efficient, leading to widespread and lasting improvements. This article explores these critical concepts, providing practical guidance for BCBAs on how to identify, prioritize, and leverage them in their practice.
Defining the Cornerstones: Pivotal Behaviors and Behavioral Cusps
While often discussed together, pivotal behaviors and behavioral cusps represent distinct, yet interconnected, concepts:
Pivotal Behaviors: The Ripple Effect
A pivotal behavior is a behavior that, once learned, produces correspondent changes in other, untrained behaviors. It's like a domino effect – mastering one pivotal behavior sets off a chain reaction of positive changes across multiple areas. These behaviors are "pivotal" because they are central to a wide range of functional skills.
Key Characteristics:
- Generativity: Leads to the acquisition of new, untrained behaviors
- Efficiency: Produces broad improvements with a single intervention
- Responsiveness to Multiple Cues: The skill transfers
- Self-Initiation: Produces changes beyond the specific intervention
Examples:
- Self-Initiation: A child who learns to initiate social interactions (e.g., approaching peers, asking questions) may experience improvements in play skills, language development, and social reciprocity, without direct training in each of those areas
- Joint Attention: A child who learns to share attention with another person on an object or event (e.g., following eye gaze, pointing) may show improvements in language comprehension, social referencing, and learning from observation
- Motivation to Engage: A child who's motivation is treated may demonstrate decreases in problem behavior, and increases in engagement and learning
- Responding to Multiple Cues: Learning to attend and respond to multiple cues can generalize to multiple other behaviors
- Self-Management: A child who learns to monitor their own behavior, self-record, and self-deliver reinforcement may show improvements in academic performance, on-task behavior, and emotional regulation
Identifying Potential Cusps: A Practical Approach
Identifying potential cusps requires careful assessment and a deep understanding of the individual's current repertoire, their environment, and their goals. Here's a systematic approach:
Comprehensive Assessment
Conduct a thorough assessment of the individual's skills, deficits, and preferences. Use standardized assessments (e.g., VB-MAPP, ABLLS-R, Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales) and informal observations in natural settings.
Ecological Assessment
Analyze the individual's current environment(s) and identify potential barriers and opportunities. Consider:
- Available Reinforcers: What reinforcers are available?
- Current Contingencies: What contingencies are in place?
- Social Context: What social interactions are typical?
- Environmental Demands: What demands are placed on the individual?
- Access Limitations: What settings or activities are inaccessible?
Prioritize Potential Cusps
Based on the assessment, brainstorm potential behaviors that might function as cusps. Ask yourself:
- Impact Assessment: What behavior change would have the greatest impact on the individual's life?
- Access Analysis: What behavior would open up access to the most new reinforcers and contingencies?
- Skill Development: What behavior would lead to the development of the widest range of other skills?
- Behavior Replacement: What behavior would replace the most significant problem behaviors?
- Social Significance: What behavior is most valued by the individual and their family?
Test and Evaluate
Once you've identified potential cusps, test them empirically. Implement an intervention targeting the behavior and carefully monitor the effects, not just on the target behavior itself, but also on other related behaviors, access to new environments, and overall quality of life.
The Interplay of Pivotal Behaviors and Cusps
While distinct, pivotal behaviors and cusps often work together. A pivotal behavior can lead to a behavioral cusp, and a cusp can facilitate the development of pivotal behaviors.
Example: Learning to initiate social interactions (pivotal behavior) might lead a child to join a playgroup (behavioral cusp), which in turn exposes them to new social contingencies and opportunities to develop further social skills.
Assessment: Identifying the Key Targets
Effective intervention begins with thorough assessment. Identifying potential pivotal behaviors and cusps requires a multi-faceted approach:
Functional Behavior Assessments (FBAs)
Determine the function of challenging behaviors. This can reveal underlying skill deficits that, if addressed, might have a widespread impact.
Skills Assessments
Use standardized assessments (e.g., VB-MAPP, ABLLS-R, Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales) to evaluate the individual's current repertoire across various domains (communication, social skills, daily living skills, etc.).
Ecological Assessments
Analyze the individual's environment(s) to identify:
- Available reinforcers and contingencies
- Barriers to participation and learning
- Opportunities for skill development and generalization
- Potential "traps" (naturally occurring contingencies that could maintain desired behaviors)
Interviews and Observations
Gather information from the individual (when possible), their family, teachers, and other caregivers. Observe the individual in natural settings to identify their strengths, challenges, and preferences.
Prioritization
Based on the assessment data, prioritize potential target behaviors. Ask:
- Which behavior change would have the broadest impact on the individual's life?
- Which behavior would open up access to the most new opportunities?
- Which behavior would address the most pressing needs?
- Which behavior is most likely to succeed given the individual's current skills and the available resources?